Betrayal at Iga: A Hiro Hattori Novel

by Susan Spann

Overview

Autumn, 1565: After fleeing Kyoto, master ninja Hiro Hattori and Portuguese Jesuit Father Mateo take refuge with Hiro’s ninja clan in the mountains of Iga province. But when an ambassador from the rival Koga clan is murdered during peace negotiations, Hiro and Father Mateo must find the killer in time to prevent a war between the ninja clans. With every suspect a trained assassin, and the evidence incriminating not only Hiro’s commander, the infamous ninja Hattori Hanzo, but also Hiro’s mother and his former lover, the detectives must struggle to find the truth in a village where deceit is a cultivated art. As tensions rise, the killer strikes again, and Hiro finds himself forced to choose between his family and his honor.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781633882775
Publisher:	Seventh Street Books
Publication date:	07/11/2017
Series:	A Shinobi Mystery , #5
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	825,179
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.20(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Susan Spann is the 2015 Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers' Writer of the Year and the author of four previous novels in the Shinobi Mystery series: Claws of the Cat, Blade of the Samurai, Flask of the Drunken Master, and The Ninja's Daughter. She has a degree in Asian Studies and a lifelong love of Japanese history and culture. When not writing, she works as a transactional attorney focusing on publishing and business law, and raises seahorses and rare corals in her marine aquarium.

Editorial Reviews

05/08/2017
Spann keeps getting better, as shown by her fifth novel set in 16th-century Japan (after 2016’s The Ninja’s Daughter), a taut closed-circle mystery with perilous consequences if a murder goes unsolved. Father Mateo, a Portuguese priest who has been working in Kyoto, accompanies Hattori Hiro, the ninja who guards him, to Iga province, the home of Hiro’s cousin and the family’s clan leader, Hattori Hanzo. The clan is to begin negotiations with a rival group, the Koga clan, regarding an alliance to counter the ambitions of Oda Nobunaga, a samurai warlord who is scheming to become shogun. But the diplomacy goes horribly wrong when Koga Yajiro, the leader of his delegation, drops dead of poison at the welcome banquet. Desperate to avoid further violence and to preserve the possibility of a treaty, Hanzo directs Hiro and Mateo to investigate, a task complicated by Hiro’s relationship with multiple suspects. While the characters could be more developed, fans of classic whodunits will be pleased. Agent: Sandra Bond, Bond Literary Agency. (July)

Publishers Weekly

Spann once more shows herself as a master storyteller . The narrative is swift and adept, and so well-grounded in ancient Japanese history and customs of the period that I was totally immersed. A nail-biting tale of ninja assassins and a man who must choose between honor and his family in feudal Japan.”
 
—CARA BLACK, New York Times–bestselling author of the Aimée Leduc Investigations

“Spann keeps getting better, as shown by her fifth novel set in 16th-century Japan, a taut closed-circle mystery with perilous consequences…. Fans of classic whodunits will be pleased.”
—PUBLISHERS WEEKLY               

“Spann’s best novel ever! Here, my favorite shinobi detective, Hiro, returns home with the Portuguese priest Mateo, and the duo is thrust into a scene of murder at a feast. With unique and endearing characters, vivid scenes, and shocking twists, Betrayal at Iga is incredibly dynamic and riveting. Susan Spann has effortlessly crafted a tantalizing tale of murder, rivalry, and suspense. I highly recommend this book!”

—WEINA DAI RANDEL, author of The Moon in the Palace and The Empress of Bright Moon 

“Spann mixes history, suspense, and folklore to great effect in the new Hiro Hattori novel. I was swept back to sixteenth-century Japan; it was a great pleasure to read.”
 
—SUJATA MASSEY, author of The Widows of Malabar Hill

PRAISE FOR THE NINJA’S DAUGHTER:
 
“Steeped in the lore of samurai culture and ninja stealth, The Ninja’s Daughter weaves a sophisticated tapestry of intrigue and murder. Compelling, exotic, and irresistible.”

—BARRY LANCET, award-winning author of Japantown and Pacific Burn
 
“Spann's novels capture the vibrant intricacies of life and etiquette in feudal Japan…. Sure to fascinate both mystery and historical fiction lovers.”
 
—Shelf Awareness for Readers
 
“Nicely written historical fantasy.”
 
—Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine

From the Publisher

2017-05-15
A return to his home is a painful experience for a shinobi assassin.Now that Hiro Hattori and the man he was hired to protect, Portuguese priest Father Mateo, have heeded a warning and left the dangers of Kyoto behind, they face new ones in Hiro's home territory of Iga. The leader of Iga, Hiro's cousin Hattori Hanz, has invited them to attend a feast for the delegation from Koga, another shinobi stronghold, who have come to discuss an alliance that could be advantageous in the perilous times they face as the ruthless samurai warlord Oda Nabunaga tries to take over as shogun. The delegation includes Koga Yajiro, Koga Fuyu, Koga Toshi, and Kogo Kiku, a woman who appears to be concealing high status. Unfortunately, Yajiro dies at the table, a victim of poison, and the other Kogas immediately accuse someone from Iga of murder. Other people with access to the food are Neko, the lifelong love who betrayed Hiro; Hiro's mother, Midori, who cooked the meal; his grandmother Akiko; and her apprentice, Tane, who helped serve it. Knowing the reputation of Hiro and Father Mateo as crime solvers, Hanz guarantees that they will deliver the murderer within three days. Since Midori had personally prepared mild food that wouldn't disguise the taste of a quick-acting poison, Hiro must look for another way that someone could have poisoned Yajiro. The members of the Koga delegation are at each other's throats over the questions of what to do about a treaty and who killed their companion. Hiro finds the whole experience bittersweet, especially as secrets from his past are slowly revealed, changing the way he feels about Neko and his family. The complex rituals of Japanese life must be taken into account before the crime can be solved. The two unlikely sleuths (The Ninja's Daughter, 2016, etc.) once again solve a difficult crime, this one with the extra kick that comes from their own personal stake in its outcome.

Kirkus Reviews